A PAEDOPHILE who preyed on young girls has been jailed for ten years after he was nailed when one of his victims tried to kill herself.

Arthur Davies, 59, of Weoley Castle, was previously convicted of 28 charges, including a string of indecent assaults and gross indecency counts.

Police were alerted to his sick activities when they found a letter to Davies written by a girl of 15 who threatened to haunt him following an unsuccessful suicide bid.

The investigation also led detectives to five other victims who had been subjected to a ten-year campaign of abuse at Davies’s home.

Police said he plied the girls with drugs and cigarettes and even threatened to harm them and their families if they revealed the truth.

After he was jailed yesterday, Det Con Sarah Batsford, of West Midlands Police’s public protection department, said: “The seasoned detectives who investigated were shocked by the nature of Davies’s crimes.

“We welcome the sentence, but realise it’s little consolation to the six victims whose lives were irrevocably damaged by this man and his vile acts.

“West Midlands Police will ensure victims are treated with the utmost humanity, dignity and respect.”

Davies was also placed on the sex offender register for an indefinite period.